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Monday, 27 May 2013

Luria, Pavlov and Radio 4...

“… that because the
activities of the brain are so complex they require both intensive and varied
methods of study.”

Brain projects

The
United States Government have promised millions of dollars for research into the workings of the brain. There are also other brain projects with vast amounts of
funding –The Human Brain Project in
Europe, The Allen Brain Atlas and the
Human Connectome Project in USA.

All in the Mind

Last
week on BBC Radio 4’s programme All in
The Mind I heard primarily about why these projects have been developed and
how the money will probably be spent, but not about huge discoveries in mapping
the brain.

Claudia
Hammond discussed the various brain-mapping initiatives with psychologist Vaughan
Bell from King’s College, London, and Donald Stein, a neurologist and Professor
of Emergency Medicine from the USA.

They
were asked what it is that these projects are trying to achieve. It was pointed out
that there is a lot to learn before one can start to map the brain and that
the projects will be spending these huge amounts of money on researching
methods and developing technology that may, or may not, in two-hundred years’
time make it possible to map the brain. The speakers hoped that all this new-found information would be shared and used in other areas of scientific development
too, so that the huge investment would benefit the many, not the few.

The Making of Mind

In his
book TheMaking of Mind, Luria
mentions Pavlov’s letter from which the quote heading this post comes. He tells
us that this letter was written when the Chelpanov Institute first opened in 1913, almost one-hundred years ago, but was not
published until over forty years later, in 1955.

As
some neurologists, and some psychologists, still tell us these days, these brain things will take time as there
are many complex issues to be dealt with.

Telling stories

Luria was a story-teller and, like Oliver Sacks, he still brings anecdotes alive and makes them understandable for me. These stories, when described in more technical or
theoretical tomes, would be otherwise inaccessible to me.

One example
is the story that he tells about one of the students in the then Chelpanov Institute
in Moscow, who thought that he was measuring mental energy by his
technique of predicting that a fixed amount of energy was available for use of
the mind and body. He predicted that the more energy needed to think, the less
energy there would be for the physical movement.

Luria wrote so long ago –

“Of course, Kornilov (the
student and later director of the Institute) never measured mental energy
directly. He simply used his assumptions to claim that he had measured it.”

And so it goes

Luria and Radio 4 are still keeping my mind
absolutely clear in the fact that it will take a long, long time, if ever, to
find out what goes on in there!

Donald
Stein on Radio 4 was generally quite positive about it, he says that he does not disapprove of
the money being made available for brain projects but he did make it clear, on
the radio and on his blog, that it will probably only be the technology needed for
research, and the methodology needed, that will be developed in these project. New
discoveries will be made in these areas that will possibly also benefit other
areas of scientific research but there are sure to be no maps of the brain in
the next two hundred years.

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Conductive pedagogy and upbringing with children, teenagers and adults, consultations, lectures and presentations

I am now open to further bookings of all kinds over the coming months.

A small deposit will secure.

Public presentations on adult work a speciality!

CE OVER THE INTERNET NEW PROJECT

"Doing a Dina"

I am currently looking for families of young children anywhere in the world to take part in preliminary work to explore the possibilities of working conductively over the Internet through Skype, audio and/or webcam. This can be done in German, in English or in Hungarian, as required.

This is "exploratory work" of a kind not done before in Conductive Education, so fees at this point will be very reasonable indeed.

Interested families should contact me to discuss possibilities further, in the language of their choice and without obligation, at

If you don't already have a copy of Dina (and in my opinion every parent with a child under three with cerebral palsy should have read this) this is the only book to describe how to bring up a young child with cerebral palsy "conductively", you can get one by contacting me or the Library at the National Institute for Conductive Education:

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About Me

I am Susie Mallett, conductor. I was born, raised and first educated in England (degree in fine arts in 1979, qualifications as a secondary-school art teacher and art therapist in 1983. From 1989 to 1993 I trained as a conductor at the Pető Institute in Budapest under Dr Mária Hári, since when I have lived and worked in Germany as a self-employed conductor.. I currently work with children in a conductive team in Nürnberg, and with adults in collaboration with therapists in adult rehabilitation. I particularly like to work with my stroke clients and with children and their families in their own homes. My conductive practice is in German and English.
I also speak Hungarian. My theoretical background relates closely to that of András Pető and Mária Hári. Uniquely amongst conductors I describe my work on the Internet. I am available to give public talks and private consultations.
Welcome to my site. I hope that you find much to interest you. You will also find some good things to see and listen to while you are here. Enjoy your visit and contact me if you think that I can help.
Susie Mallett, Conductor, BA Hons, PGCE, Dip ArtTherapy, DiplKondPed